Screencasting for lab practicals: benefits and student's resistance

Since its original definition, screencasting has seen a steady increase in popularity. Screencasting is the capturing what is on the screen, with a voiceover explaining what is on the screen (Udell, 2004). It is a flexible... [ view full abstract ]

Since its original definition, screencasting has seen a steady increase in popularity. Screencasting is the capturing what is on the screen, with a voiceover explaining what is on the screen (Udell, 2004). It is a flexible tool that through the interaction of screen technology and voice, enables the delivery of segmented learning for a variety of purpose such as: clarification, explanation and preparation. Mayer and collaborators (2002) claimed that it promotes “meaningful learning” by encouraging problem-solving transfer skills to different situations.

A two years application of screencasting for a year 2 microbiology module highlighted a number of factors, such as engagement, student skills, class interaction and student perception and marks, as critical to its satisfactory application in the classroom.

In a survey of the 2016/2017 student’s cohort (n=35, response rate 35%) the respondentsagreed that they felt more prepared and competent for the practical (80%) and that the pre-practical videos should be introduced in other modules (strongly agree, 70%). The student’s ability to timing and self-pace in the use of the resources was reflected by the fact that 40% of the responsive sample had viewed the video 5 or more times prior to the practical.

The 2017/2018 students cohort engagement reflected what Illeris (2018) called: “mental resistance”. The beneficial incentive “marks for watching” did not exert the same weight that was observed in 2016/2017 student’s cohort. Identifying the factors underlying the resistance to the screencast for this year cohort is essential to learn for the next cohort, however this variability highlights the existence of factors that cannot likely be generalizable across all students’ cohorts and thus intrinsically hindering its applicability.

The paper will present and discuss the lecturer experiences and that of the students (as captured by the survey) with a focus on mental resistance.

Reference

Mayer, R. E. 2002. Multimedia learning. Psychology of learning and motivation, 41, 85-139.

Udell, J. (2004). Name that genre: screencast. Retrieved December, 03, 2017.

Illeris, K. (2018). A comprehensive understanding of human learning. In Contemporary theories of learning (pp. 1-14). Routledge.